Posted on 04/16/2014 6:28:16 AM PDT by Salvation
The Easter Triduum:
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil
Meditations on the Triduum by Victor Hoagland, C.P.
The Easter triduum, marking the days of Jesus’ passion and resurrection, is the most important time of the church year. It begins with the evening Mass of Holy Thursday, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes on Easter Sunday evening.
Prepared by the days of Lent, Christians celebrate on these holiest of days the saving work God has accomplished in Christ.
From the events remembered these days, so sorrowful and so joyful, the church learns the deepest lessons. In rites and words the mysteries of Jesus’ final hours are with us again, his passion, his cruel suffering, his rising from the dead. And we discover the answer to age old questions: Does God love us? Is God merciful? Does God care for us?
We have only to look and learn from Jesus Christ.
These are days for fixing our eyes on the holy mystery of his cross and filling our ears with the words of his gospel. Nowhere else does God’s love appear so vividly. In the love Christ showed for a sinful world we find the beginning of our church, the source of our sacraments, the key to understanding the human story, and our hope for eternal life.
Holy Thursday
The Easter Triduum begins with Mass on Holy Thursday evening, when Jesus sacramentally anticipated the gift he would make of himself on the cross. His command to serve others is dramatically recalled this night in the ceremony of the washing of the feet, which he performed in the supper room for his disciples. Like the Paschal lamb, killed and eaten by the people, according to the Old Testament account read from Exodus this evening, he is a sign of God’s salvation.
Good Friday
The Good Friday rites center around the reading of the Passion of Jesus. With simple dignity that story is retold, followed by prayers for the entire world, for this powerful mystery brings blessings to the world. According to ancient tradition, an image or relic of the cross is venerated this day, and the sacrament of Christ’s love for his church is received. It is a day of fasting and quiet mourning.
The Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil is the high point of the Easter triduum celebrating the passion and resurrection of Jesus. With a rich display of symbols, rites and readings, the church in worship expresses her faith in the mystery that brings her into being.
Light conquers darkness
The vigil opens with a service of light. Like the Jewish Passover, our Easter celebration coincides with the beginning of spring, when the sun offers new warmth and earth is ready to flower again. Our words “lent” (from the Middle-English word for spring, “lengthening days”) and “Easter” (possibly Germanic or Anglo-Saxon in origin, signifying “the east”, “the rising sun”) point to the long tradition of seeing this holy mystery through signs of the natural world.
The lighting of the fire and the Easter candle go back to rites that long preceded Christianity. The candle, carried with loving reverence and lyrically praised in word and song, is a sign of Christ, “the light of the world,” and celebrates the victory of light over darkness that humanity has ever longed for.
God’s love endures forever
A series of readings recalls the great interventions of God in history, from creation to the the redemption of Israel from Egypt, and ends with the story of Jesus’ resurrection. The great “alleluia” proclaims with quiet joy the triumph of God’s Son. Those preparing for Batpism then receive the sacraments of initiation. The blessed water sprinkled over others signifies the blessing of new life.
Rejoice! This night says as it brings before us the deepest symbols of our hopes and fears. The darkness, sign of evil and death, has been overcome by light. A lamp, a candle has been lit; a fire is enkindled in our hearts; a nourishing water flows through our lives; a baptism destroys what is unclean and brings to life again.
Rejoice! this night says to all creation. The Word who made all things, as a new Adam, freshly proclaims God’s promise of life. All creation celebrates God’s love.
Triduum Ping!
The Sacred Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. The Mystery of Faith
The Easter Triduum in General
On the Holy Triduum
Celebrating the Lord’s Passover (The Triduum): Suggestions for Personal and Family Prayer
Holy Week and the Triduum
The Triduum and 40 Days
We Will Relive the Passion, Death and Resurrection
Spiritual Reading for the Sacred Triduum and Easter
The Easter Triduum
THE EASTER TRIDUUM: With Fr. John Corapi
The Easter Triduum is when the “original” holy mass is remembered, in the upper room, on the cross, and from there, to the empty tomb.
A good and blessed Holy Triduum/Holy Easter!
I struggle with where Easter falls. On the one hand the good book states that Jesus died on Friday, as they had to rush to get him entombed prior to the passover, which starts at sundown on Friday in the Jewish faith. It also states 3 days from death to resurrection, like Jonah in the whale. But there aren’t 3 days between Friday night and Sunday morning, so I wonder if perhaps it’s either partial days or if he really rose on Tuesday... In the end it’s a minor issue as what’s important is He rose...but it’s always made me wonder.
duh - sabbath not passover...sigh
I converted (from nothing really) to the Catholic Church and this Easter will mark my second year. I have been honored to be chosen to be one of the Lectors for the Easter Vigil Mass at my parish this year. I spent many years trying (very trying) to be a rocknroll star. While I used to get a pretty big rush when I would play in front of a (usally small) crowd, it doesn’t hold a candle to how it feels to read from the Bible. Plus, Easter Vigil is when the RCIA class is confirmed into the Church and they receive Communion for the first time, which makes it even more special.
Jews count days as follows -
today is day
tomorrow is day 2
the day after tomorrow is day 3
See Luke 13 for confirmation of this.
so, if Jesus was to rise “on the third day”, and the third day was the first day of the week ( sunday ), here is how it calculates:
friday - day 1
saturday - day 2
sunday - the third day
Jews also counted any part of a day, as a whole day.
when Jesus said he would be in the heart of the earth for “ three days and three nights”, it was an idiomatic expression that the Jews who heard it knew meant three days.
hope that helps.
Congrats on your conversion and WELCOME, belated to the Church!
At that time they counted partial days as full days.
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Welcome home.
A hint for lectors and readers. It’s not a performance. Read as though you were talking....read they way you talk.
Christ rose the following day, the first day of a new creation.
PraiseJesus!!!!! Congrats!!!!
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